This rice based preparation is one of the spiciest Indian recipes available. Combining rice with spices, meat, vegetables, fish, the dish is derived from the Persian word beryan, which means fried or roasted. This dish is not just extremely famous in India but also in Gulf countries and South Asia. There are lot of variants of the dish as well with the likes of Thai Biryani, Sindhi Biryani, Tehari, Moradabadi Biryani, Awadhi Biryani, etc. The difference between Biryani and Pulao would be that rice is cooked separately in the former as opposed to cooked together with all the ingredients in the latter. Pickle, curd, papad and green chutney would be the best accompaniments to this dish.
As Lara is a vegetarian, she prefers the vegetarian version of the preparation toped with loads of spices. Learn how to make Biryani, just as Lara likes it.
Quick Vegetarian Biryani
Ingredients:
- 2 cups Basmati Rice
- 1 cup Mixed Vegetables (cauliflower, potato, carrot, french beans, diced)
- 150 gms Green Peas
- 3 Finely Sliced Onion
- 2 Finely Sliced Green Chillies
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 2 tsp Cinnamon(dalchini), Caraway Seeds(zeera)
- 4 Cloves (laung)
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder
- 4 Tomato
- 1/2 cup Yogurt (curd)
- 4 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 3 tbsp Dry Fruits (cashew nuts, raisins)
Method:
- Wash the basmati rice thoroughly. Combine rice with 4 cups of water and add littlt salt to it and 2 tbsp of dry fruits. Cook in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes.
- Cut and fry all the vegetables in a pan
- Take 1 tblsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, green chilli, cinnamon and caraway seed powder, cloves, black pepper powder and stir for about half minute. Then add onions and saute them for a minute ot till they get pink in color
- Add salt and red chilli powder and stir.
- Add fine chopped tomatoes and fry till they are properly cooked.
- Take the yogurt and make it fine by putting in a blender for just 2 rotations. Add this fine yogurt and stir well.Heat it for about 10 s.
- Add all the fried vegetables to this.
- Now take the cooked rice and mix well with very light hands so that the rice grain doesn’t break. Cook for about 3 min.
- Take this vegetable biryani out in a rice serving dish.
- Garnish with dry fruits and green coriander leaves.
- Serve hot with curd and pickle.